LAWN TENNIS Canterbury Teams In Shield Finals

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30042, 29 January 1963, Page 18

LAWN TENNIS Canterbury Teams In Shield Finals

Canterbury teams will play Auckland in both boys’ and girls’ finals for the interprovincial junior tennis shields at Wilding Park today. Three of yesterday’s four semifinals were decided after the eight singles. The other, between the Canterbury and Wellington boys, was a tense struggle decided by the doubles at the end.

Canterbury has done well to get both ite teams into the finals because its record in these competitions has not been outstanding. Its only win was in the Slazenger Shield for boys the last time it was held at Wading Park in 1957; it has never woo the Howe Shield. Auckland has had nine wins in the Slazenger Shield since the competitions began to 1948-49, Wellington three and Waikato one. Auckland is the present holder. In the Howe Shield, Auckland has had 10 wins, the last six in succession. Wellington three and Waikato one. Last year Canterbury tost, 0-9, to Auckland in a Slazenger Shield semi-final and 2-8 to Auckland in a Howe Shield semi-final. The Canterbury team face difficult tasks in their finals today because the Auckland boys and girls beat Otago teams yesterday without the loss of a match, but they were hardly tests from wthich true form could be judged. The Canterbury boys beat Wellington by 6 matches to 4 and the girls beat Hutt Valley by 6 snatches to 4. The Canterbury-Wellington Slazenger Shield contest was quite the most interesting of the day. After the first four singles, Canterbury led by 3 matches to I but the next four singles were halved so that Canterbury led by 5 matches to 3 and by 11 sets to 8. This meant that if Wellington could win both doubles in straight sets the snatches would be 5-5 and Wellington would win by 12 sets to 11. The Canterbury players had to win two sets in the doubles for success. Two Seta Won First, R. McCutcheon and W. Edgecumbe (Canterbury) took the first set from O. Parun and D. Hawkes (Wellington) and soon after G. Ford and A. Brooks (Canterbury) ended the! first set 6-3 with N. McAffer and G. Harris (Wellington) after a brilliant burst of volleying by Brooks. That assured Canterbury of the win. Ford and Brooks went on to win the match so that the result was decided on matches rather than on sets. Canterbury got a good start in the singles. Ford had the precedent of beating Harris comfortably in the Canterbury junior championships and he won again, although he found It more difficult. He late lost to the top player, McAffer, the national under 17 titleholder. McAffer won both his singles but he was somewhat lucky to win the first one. Against McCutcheon he won the first set, 6-4, but loot the second. 2-9. McAffer did not have the same form he had in the national championships and the bad bounces on a rough court upset him. McCutcheon took a 5-3 lead in the third set and held two match points. On the second of these a ball from McAffer was thought by many to be out but it was not called so and the match continued McCutcheon lost another match point at 5-4 and lost the match at 5-7.

McCutctieon is a year older than McAffer, who is 16, but the Wellington player has a considerably greater reputation and McCutcheon did well to lose so narrowly and rather unluckily.

Brooks had a good day for he was the only member of either team to win his two singles and his doubles. The very strong Auckland team was much too good for Otago in the other contest and every match was won m straight sets The best performances by Otago players were given by D. Anderson, wno led 5-2 in his first set with S. Tietjens before losing, 5-7, 2-6, and by B. Kaye who took the hard-hitting D. Simmonds to 5-7, also in the first set, before losing by a similar score. J. S. Halligan, the top Aucklander, made some errors when he beat Kaye, 6-2, 6-4, but tn his next singles he was devastating and conceded W. Sutherland only one game. Unbeatable Lead The Canterbury-Hutt Valley Howe Shield contest was also expected to be close but Canterbury led 3-1 at the end of the first round of singles and had ah unbeatable lead of 6-3 at the end of the second round. It was just as well because Hutt Valley won both the doubles. The most notable result was the defeat of E. Cavaye (Hutt Valley) by D. Smith In the match between the top players. A finalist for the under 19 girls' singles at the national junior championships on Saturday. Miss Cavaye produced a number of her best shots, which are most impressive in any company, but she seemed to lack determination and fire.

Miss Smith, on the other hand, fought hard for every point and won 6-4, 7-3. There was some confusion about the score in the second set when the umpire swarded the set. 8-3, to Miss Smith. Players ana umpire sat on the court and it was found that at this stage Miss Smith was only leading, 5-4. Miss Cavaye levelled but lost the next two games.

Miss Smith had two singles wins and so did C. Andrew (Canterbury) who served, drove and. volleyed throughout with considerable pace. Against B. Heaton, she won the first set, 6-4, but Mias Heaton made a grand recovery to win the second set without the loos of a game. In the third set Miss Andrew was in command again to win 6-3.

A surprise result was the defeet of Miss Heaton by D. Hopping. of Canterbury. 6-4, 6-1. when these players met tn the first round of the national under 19 title. Miss Heaton won. 6-3, 6-4. Like the boys, the Auckland girls were much too strong for Otago. The best Otago effort was made by the top player. L. Ashby when she took the second Aucklander, B. Amlin, to three sets. In a doubles, J. O’Gorman and M. Hamilton (Otago) fought hard for a set from L. Raisebeck and B. Vercoe but loot it 10-12 and the next 1-4. Results: BLAZXNGER SHIELD Auckland V. Otago Singles—J. S. Halligan beat B Kaye, 6-2, 6-4; D.Rtrnmonds beat W. Sutherland, 6-0, 6-4; S. Tletjens beat D. Anderson, 7-5. 6-1; R. Potter beat P. Downie, 6-3, 6-2; Halligan beat Sutherland. 6-0. 6-1; Simmonds beat Kaye, 7-3, 6-2; Tletjens beat Downie, 6-1, 6-1; Potter beat Anderson. 6-1, 6-1. Doubles.—Halligan and Simmonds beat Sutherland and Downie, 6-2, 6-1; Tletjens and Potter beat Kaye and Anderson. **jtuckland won by 16 matches to 6.

Canterbury v. Wellington Singles.—G. Ford beat G. Harris. 3-6, 4-1. 6-4; R. McCutcheon lost to N. McAffer. 4-6, 6-3, 5-7; A. Brooks beat D. Hawkins. 6-3, 6-3; W. Edgecumbe beat O. Parun. 4-4, 8-2. 6-3; Ford lost to McAffer, 6-8, 3-4); McCutcheon beat Harris. 6-1. 8-6: Brooks beat Parun. 6-3, 6-4; Edgecumbe lost to Hawkes. 4-6 J-6. Doubles.—Ford and Brooks beat McAffer and Harris. 6-3. 6-1; McCutcheon and Edgecumbe lost to Parun and Hawkes. 6-3, 4-6, 4-6. Canterbury won by 6 matches to 4.

BOWE SHIELD Auckland V. Otazo Singles.—B. Asplin beat L. Ashby, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2; A. Glenie beat J. Davies, 6-1, 6-0; L. Raisebeck beat M. Hamilton, 6-3. 6-0; B. Vercoe beat J. O'Gorman, 6-3, 6-4; Glenie beat Ashby. 6-3, 6-3; Asplin beat Davies. 6-1, 6-0; Raisebeck beat O'Gorman. 6-3. 6-2; Vercoe beat Hamilton, 6-1, 6-0. Doubles.—Glenie and Asplin beat Ashby and Davies, 6-3, 6-3; Raisebeck and Vercoe beat O’Gorman and Hamilton. 13-10, 6-1.

Auckland won by 10 matches to 0.

Canterbury v. Hutt Valley Singles.—H. Bruce lost to E. Cavaye, 1-6, 1-6; D. Smith beat C. McLauchlan. 8-6, 6-1; C. Andrew beat B. McNellly, 6-4. 6-3; D. Hopping beat B. Heaton. 6-4, 6-1; Smith beat Cavaye, 6-4, 7-5; Bruce beat McLauchlan, 9-7, 6-3; Hopping lost to McNellly, 6-2. 5-7, 1-6; Andrew beat Heaton, 6-4, 0-6. 6-3. Doubles.—Smith and Andrew lost to Cavaye and McLauchlan. 4-6, 3-6; Bruce and Hopping lost to Heaton and McNeilly, 4-6. 7-5, 2-6. Canterbury won by 6 matches to 4.